The King, in particular, said that it was one of the best conducted institutions in the country, and strongly recommended that the boys should be taught the use of artillery-a suggestion certainly highly worthy of adoption.

A cold collation was provided by the governor, and the party broke up.

The King seems now to have given up all intention of future residence in town; as, in the course of the summer and autumn, the whole of his magnificent library was removed from Buckingham House to Windsor, retaining only at the former a few books of general reference, for ready use in matters of state or politics, and which were placed in a small library, fitted up for the purpose.

The annual visit to Weymouth took place this year on the twelfth of July; but as our details of those excursions have already been sufficiently ample to delineate the style and manner of the royal residence, to say nothing of the uniform tenor of the venerable monarch's blameless life, and the regularity of his habits, it must be unnecessary minutely to recapitulate the passing occurrences of each day, or to enumerate the aquatic parties, the reviews, the regular attendance at divine service, the affable mixing with general society at the public rooms, or the thousand et ceteras with which the papers and periodical works of the times were most loyally occupied.

Two occurrences, however, we may record. The first is illustrative of the peculiar etiquette observed on occasion of the Princess Amelia's birth-day, when His Majesty gave a grand dinner at the Royal Hotel to the principal part of the company there, and the nobility and gentry of the vicinity. The royal family, however, did not dine with the company, but at the Lodge, and then went to the hotel to receive their guests, returning to the Lodge, after dinner was served up, but joining the company at the ball, where they appeared as the friendly hosts of the brilliant assemblage.

A few days afterwards, whilst the royal party were at sea, they happened to fall in with a homeward-bound West India fleet, a sight which afforded such pleasure to the King, that he lengthened his cruize, passing through the convoy, and examining all the ships with great attention; enjoying the salutes which took place in honour of the royal standard, and proudly exulting in the wealth which thus floated on the bosom of the ocean into the lap of Britannia.

The royal festivities were considerably clouded by the death of the Duke of Gloucester, which was announced on the twenty-sixth of August, and detained the whole royal party within the Lodge for some days, where they were visited by the male branches of the family; and on the fourth of October their Majesty's returned to Kew, accompanied

by all the princesses, much improved in health and spirits, and in good humour with themselves and their faithful subjects, whose loyalty had been loudly manifested wherever the venerable monarch had shewn himself.

The loss which His Majesty sustained in the demise of his brother, the Duke of Gloucester, was certainly to the great regret both of the King and of the royal family at large; for though a slight coolness ensued upon his marriage with the Countess Dowager of Waldegrave, and though reasons of state and court etiquette afterwards restrained the impulse of the King's feelings, with respect to his sister-in-law, yet the illustrious descendants of that marriage uniformly enjoyed the tenderest and most affectionate attention of their majesties.

The Duke himself, throughout his long life, was distinguished more by the equanimity of his temper and disposition, than by splendid or shewy talents; but from the marked kindness of his manners he always acquired the love of those who had access to his person. Respectful to his sovereign, affable to his acquaintance, and generous and condescending to his inferiors, he deservedly enjoyed the confidence of the former, and the unaffected esteem and regard of the latter.

Though a prince, he had the advantage of being well educated; and he was justly known to be a polite scholar, and esteemed an accomplished gen

tleman: whilst the meekness of his disposition influenced every tint of his character; even his very virtues partaking of the moderation that predominated in his temper and disposition. Yet he was not negligent in the exercise of those virtues ; for though the modest reserve and placid serenity of his conduct kept many instances of his generosity out of view, he was always the liberal supporter of every institution calculated to promote the interests of society.

This reserve was perhaps useful to his happiness, for he never attempted to appear as a public character, but always kept himself aloof from interference with party intrigues, or the agitation of political topics; thus avoiding to wound the feelings of his royal brother, and setting an example of loyal and respectful attachment as a subject.

The funeral took place with all due ceremony at Windsor.

1806.

The death of Mr. Pitt, in 1806, was a most remarkable event in that year. To expatiate on his character, whom all must remember, is unnecessary, especially as the strains of panegyric and of invective, which were heard in every quarter, served as proofs in attesting that no common character had left the world.

To avoid both these extremes, it will be sufficient to observe that almost all parties agreed that his accessibility and industry as a minister were unequalled; that his eye was ever vigilant for the public interest; that he was incessant in the labours and duties of his office; that his personal administration was free from the least taint of corruption : whilst his poverty, instead of resulting from culpable remissness or profusion, was really an evidence that he sought not for power as an instrument of pecuniary emolument.

His Majesty felt the loss most severely but the political arrangements of the period are matter of British history, rather than of personal biography; we shall therefore merely notice the death of Mr. Fox, which happened very soon afterwards; and as briefly allude to a " Delicate" transaction, in which His Majesty was an anxious and an active inquirer, but which was too much a matter of public notoriety to require further notice here;- we therefore gladly pass to, and insert verbatim, a cotemporary article, which exhibited an exact picture of the economy of the royal family at Windsor, till the unhappy return of the King's malady disordered the system, and threw a gloom over that beautiful mansion, which for so many years had been the seat of harmony, and an object of affection and admiration to the whole kingdom.

"Our sovereign's sight is so much improved since